Google RIPS aside curtain, exposes Nexus 5 phone, KitKat Android 4.4 coupling Google has released its latest major Android build, version 4.4 codenamed KitKat, and has started selling its new Nexus 5 smartphone as the first device to run the new OS. Nexus 5 Behold, Google's shiny new mobe ... the Nexus 5 KitKat, aka Android 4.4, has faster multitasking and full voice control, according to Google, …
4.4 will be out on the Nexus 4, 7 and 10 within the next few weeks.
You can't blame Google for the shortcomings of the other phone manufacturers if they don't get their act together. The source is freely available.
As for some of the older Nexus models, it appears a lot of the problem comes from the chipset manufacturers, some of which have actually stopped making mobile chipsets altogether (Ti), and had supplied the previous firmware in binary blobs, which aren't compatible with the newer kernel.
Hmmmm, Does it. have any USB connection?
If not, I guess you'd have to load it via wi-fi.
Whilst probably more applicable to tablets than phones, I'd find that a major hassle - it's not so much the storage, but the ability to quickly upload stuff from the computer.
Heck, sometines I don't even do that - just take a few pre-loaded USB sticks with me for a long journey.
I suspect their reasoning may have somrthing to do with appeasing the music/film industry - of course, in the real world, this restriction is hardly a barrier...
Fair enough.
I therefore humbly withdraw my irrelevant rant. - downvotes deserved (even though I did start my rant with "If", I didn't mean to spread FUD)
Sorry, its the iphone with no usb/sd isn't it?
Sigh, I'm getting senile.
Please substitute "Google " with "Apple", and "Android" with "iOS" in my original post!
Cheers!
Sparse and 'functional' is GOOD - it's exactly what I want from a phone!
Plain vanilla stock Android is about the best there is; that's WHY I prefer Google devices.
It's all the interface cruft and 'features' that networks and third parties add to Android that make the experience sub-optimal. And of course they always seem to make them so you can't delete them unless you root the phone...
The Galaxy Nexus will NOT be updated to KiKat - http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/31/google-galaxy-nexus-kitkat/
But... I think this is by design. I bought my Galaxy Nexus almost 2 years ago and contract will be up soon so I'm guessing the road map will continually end every two years to encourage upgrading. I'm jumping on the Nexus 5 just to avoid the bloatware that's more common now on high-end smartphones.
How does that matter? TI chipsets tend to be the best in the business in terms of Open Source support, as opposed to Qualcomm, used in the newer devices.
Someone will hopefully cook up a 4.4 update for the Nexus.
I have a RAZR MAXX HD, and it only officially has 4.1.2.
Thankfully, I got mine before the bootloader exploit was fixed, so mine now has an unlocked bootloader, and is running a ROM from xda-dev (that has no issues I've found so far I may add) that's 4.3.1.
Giant battery, 32GB built in, microHDMI out, and the microSD slot? I struggle to think of anything more I could possibly need on my phone.
Google's devices don't tickle my fancy quite the right way, as they usually lack some combination of features I want.
' ...... as they usually lack some combination of features I want."
I think you could say that about ANY phone on the market at the moment. Personally, I would like (slightly) bigger screen, but an SD slot is not a requirement for me.
Now if a manufacturer allowed you to order a bespoke phone where you can specify screen size, battery size, SD slot, OS (?) etc, they may be onto a winner.
Beer: because it's Friday
The 4's glass one was too slippery, for no reason. Metal is just stupid and generally ends being covered in plastic.
I wonder why they felt the need to make it thinner ( which I guess means more complicated / expensive ). Did many people complain because they wanted to be able to put an extra book mark in their pockets? Or is it a pointless selling point?
At least they got rid of the ludicrous slippery glass back by the looks of things. However, non-recessed buttons kill this for me. Isn't it about time LG made a phone that has function over form? I liked the Nexus 4 but I eventually got an HTC One X+ because it's just a nicer phone to hold and use (power button on top - where it should be).
The power button also wakes the screen so you can unlock it. It is placed where you can reach it with the pad of your thumb or index finger when holding it naturally. You like making some unnatural, complicated move with a finger (in order to stab the power button with your fingernail) why, exactly?
Aside from the fact that you likely log in from that computer with that IP address (your computer can send a surprising amount of information about itself without you being aware, you're being afraid of the instances where it's working for you?), there's this thing called location awareness.
Once I was testing out a VPN provider with my laptop, for a giggle I told it to route me to an exit point on the other side of the country. As soon as I tried to check Gmail, I got emails and text messages about possible fraudulent access. Why? My phone was in my pocket where I really was, Google looked at where it said it was, where the IP address I was trying to get from my mail seemed to hail from, and threw the flag.
We traveled to a small island in Asia for a lengthy vacation. Google responded by locking some of us out of our accounts. The false assumption here is that people don't travel, so it must be an unauthorized attack by someone with the same device, same cookies and other tracking files, same username and knowing the same password.
Because we were on vacation on a small tropical island in a foreign country, it took several hours over several days to go through the steps to regain access. Exactly the sort of crap one doesn't like to deal with during a vacation.
Google used to be clever. Now they're getting stupid. I'm losing respect for them.
Not needed, supposedly this one will actually have USB otg functionality...
That said, I've got my 5 on order, should ship Nov 8th as well...
To those with galaxy Nexus... Google has said they won't get an official update to kit kat (but nothing is said that aokp, Cyanogen and the others won't release a custom kit kat mod for it)
Ignoring the hardware for a moment - Kit Kat has a feature that will search Google Maps for a business name if a number calls you that isn't in your address book? That's actually pretty useful. I'll no longer have to reasearch a pest number and add the name to my address book :)
Faking the callerID is a criminal matter in a number of countries.
Faking the callerID of a reputable company is a civil tort (Passing off) which can lead to pretty much unlimited damages should the impuned company decide to pursue it.
Either way, such activity is a perfect excuse to pierce the corporate veil and go after the company's prinicpals.
XYZ Cardiff mobile scammers selling you a free upgrade are more at risk from civil proceedings than criminal ones in the UK. (USA rules allow FTC sanctions AND small claims court proceedings AND passing off proceedings). The death of 1,000,000 papercuts may be exactly what's needed to shut 'em down and make sure they STAY shut down.
(There are some nice apps to record all incoming calls. It's hard for a scammer to argue with a recording of himself/his employee when it hits a courtroom)
If you do get this kind of thing, I'd string them along and go see the company in question.
"Nice phone for people that don't want an iPhone..."
There, fixed it for you.
Actually, I've suggested one to a friend with an iPhone for playing with. SIM comes out of one, into the other and away you go. It's a nice, inexpensive, no-contact way to try out what Android is really all about, without carrier and manufacturer cruft detracting from the experience.
Looks like a nice phone. But why would a $349 phone cost £299 in the UK ?
With an exchange rate of 1.6, it should be £218.
They could have got away with £250, but I think someones got greedy, and this is likely to p off a number of UK buyers ( like me ).
This is a red rag to the Ebay entrepreneurs to import and undercut official channels.
Not sure about that. The rate is 1.6 today but has been much closer to 1.5 over the last couple of years. You have to think about the long-term rate not a current spike. Take the FX at 1.5 and add 20% and you get £280. Add in a few quid for "localisation", etc and I don't think it is too bad. Certainly, compared to any other equivalent phone, I think you are pushing it a bit to complain about £300! Whenever a company sells overseas they are taking a bit of a gamble on FX rate fluctuations and it is pretty normal to weight the odds in their favour. It is the shipping for devices from Google play that always sticks a bit in my throat. They lure you in with the ludicrously low price and then charge £10+ to ship it.
...and that's a SMALLER screen.
The Nexus 4 is just small enough for me to use one-handed - in fact, just a fraction too big if I'm honest.
And who needs full HD on a phone? If I want to watch movies on the go, I'll watch them on my tablet.
If they were to produce a Nexus 3 with a similar pixel density as the Nexus 5 and a slightly smaller screen than the Nexus 4 at, say, £199 - it would fly off the shelves!
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